


Coefficients

by sanctuary_for_all



Category: Scorpion (TV 2014)
Genre: Cuddles, Episode Tag, F/M, Feels, Finally, First Kiss, First Time, Fluff and Angst, Humor, Mutual Pining, Resolved Sexual Tension, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-08
Updated: 2015-04-22
Packaged: 2018-02-24 13:36:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 8,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2583296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanctuary_for_all/pseuds/sanctuary_for_all
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Paige was the one variable Walter hadn't accounted for. </p><p>Walter was the kind of thing Paige had stopped letting herself wish for.</p><p>Life loves to surprise people.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This will probably end up being a chapter per episode for awhile, tweaking the plot so they progress faster than I know the show will let them. This one is set after 1X07.

For Walter, sleep was a simple equation. He’d long ago calculated the amount his brain and body needed for maximum efficiency, and whenever possible he was scrupulous about meeting that allotted time. When sleep wasn’t possible, whether through circumstance or his brain’s refusal to be silent, he occupied himself with work until the situation was resolved or his body began to shut down on its own. He would adjust his sleep schedule the following night to accommodate for the lack, and he was back up to full efficiency. The variables were simple and could always be accounted for.

That is, they could be until Paige and Ralph had come into his life.

000

Walter balled up the notes he’d been making on his muscle control experiment and tossed them into the trash can, finally admitting they were useless. He hadn’t been able to sleep, staring up at his darkened ceiling as he replayed Paige and Ralph’s meeting with Drew Baker over and over again in his mind’s eye. He’d started working to distract himself, hoping his brain would be eager for a problem it _could_ solve, but his focus had remained unwaveringly attached to the wrong thing.

He scrubbed his hands across his face as he tried one more time to chase the picture from his mind. He knew all the same facts that Toby did about microexpressions and the importance of subtle posture cues, but most of the time they held little interest for him. Paige and Ralph, though … he found himself cataloging their every gesture and microexpression as if it was vital data.

They’d been cautious, with Baker. Paige moreso than Ralph, but that was only to be expected, and every lean and shift of her body had telegraphed protectiveness to any who might consider harming her child. But it had eased, near the end, and he had known without needing to hear anything that there would be at least one supervised visit in the future.

Walter’s own mistrust, however, hadn’t eased at all. The man’s expression had professed eagerness, but there’d been none of the signs of genuine welcome as he’d interacted with his son. A show, without any genuine feeling behind it, and given his insistence on the meeting the implication that he had an ulterior motive was only logical.

Of course, it wasn’t as if he was the most impartial observer.

Walter sighed, tilting his chair back and staring up at the ceiling. Cabe had been entirely right about the possibility that he was transferring his own experiences onto Ralph’s situation, but the truth was that was far from the only factor potentially affecting his judgment. Jealousy was a basic human instinct, a remnant of early man’s need to defend his territory, but it was entirely inappropriate here since Paige and Ralph were not, in fact, his territory.

To be more precise, they weren’t his at all.

His fingers curled into fists, an involuntary reaction at the thought. Embarrassed, he forced them open again, then deliberately straightened in the chair. This was ridiculous – if he couldn't focus on his current project, there had to be other things out there that would sufficiently distract—

His phone buzzed in his pocket.

Walter grabbed for it, hoping that it was Cabe with some late-night emergency he was urgently needed for. When he saw Paige's number, however, his stomach twisted with a sudden certainty that he wouldn't like whatever she was about to say.

Still, it would be easier to hear it now than face-to-face. He accepted the call. "You shouldn't be awake."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, then Paige made an exasperated sound. The faint hope that _she_ was the one calling him with some kind of emergency died a quick death. "Look who's talking." Then she sighed. "I was going to leave a message, but this is probably best."

That was debatable. "What is it?" He tried hard to ignore the sudden panic he could feel rising inside him. This sounded like an announcement, and after the day they'd had any announcement she'd be interested in making could potentially be disastrous.

If Toby were here, he might even use the word heartbreaking.

She was silent again, which did nothing to help his blood pressure, and when she finally did speak her voice was too full of different emotions for him to be able to analyze it properly. "I saw you, when we were meeting Drew." There were small sounds that suggested rhythmic footsteps, as if she was pacing. "Did you really think I wouldn't?"

Ah, that. It was a relief, in a way. "But I didn't interfere." He leaned forward, voice more urgent than was probably appropriate for the situation. "I told you I wouldn't, and I didn't."

"That's...." She trailed off, clearly frustrated. He found himself picturing the expression she was likely making. "Fine. That's technically true. But if you didn't plan on interfering, why were you there in the first place?"

That ... was not such a simple question to answer. The only thing he wanted to discuss less than his complicated feelings about Cabe was his far more complicated feelings about Paige and Ralph.

While he sought for an explanation that would be believable without betraying him, Paige took the silence as its own answer. "Damn it, Walter." The quiet sadness in her voice was almost physically painful to listen to. "I thought you trusted me."

"I do." The words were out of Walter's mouth before he could think about them. "I trust you with my team, and there's nothing more important to me than that. You are the best possible mother Ralph could ever hope for, and you have been doing an amazing job with him. There's nothing I wouldn't trust you with."

The silence on the other end of the phone had deepened, the small background sounds of movement and breathing disappearing, and Walter cut himself off before something dangerous escaped him. When she did finally speak, the emotion he couldn't interpret was back. "Then why were you there?"

Walter hesitated, mind racing as he tried to explain. He could make numbers do whatever he wanted them to, but words always seemed to fail him. "I just ... I wanted to be there. In case...."

"In case Drew tried something?"

"Yes" wouldn't even begin to adequately describe the reality of the situation, and no wasn't accurate either. Walter closed his eyes. "In case you or Ralph needed me." He rubbed his hand across his mouth, pulling the words out by force. "For anything."

The silence was back, and Walter was forced to reassess his earlier belief that a phone call was an easier conversation than in person. He needed to be able to see her face.

Finally, he heard her inhale. "Thank you," she said finally, voice soft. "My parents don't agree with you about my ability to mother Ralph, by the way."

"Then they're wrong." The words came out a little more forcefully than he'd attended, angry at himself for tripping over an obvious sore spot of hers. He'd have to talk to Toby about being more careful. "You're fantastic, Paige."

"You're not so bad yourself." He could hear the smile in her voice, the subtle vocal changes that suggested an elevation of mood. The fact that he could see that same smile in his mind, as clearly as if she was standing in front of him, was less easily explained. "I won't apologize about before, but I will admit I could have been more gentle with you guys. I'm not..." She hesitated, then sighed again. "I'm not really used to having someone just be there."

"Well, I— we're not really used to being there for someone." Walter cursed the verbal fumble even as he tried to keep his voice light. "Think of it as a learning process for both of us."

"I will." He was growing far too attached to the sound of the smile in her voice. "Now it is way past both our bedtimes. So I will let you go, and you need to promise me you'll try and get some sleep."

"I'll try." His lips curved up into a tired smile. "But only if you take your own advice."

"I might just do that." The words were warm. "Goodnight, Walter."

Even after he said his own goodbyes, he drifted off to sleep still hearing the sound of her voice.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a missing scene from the end of 2X08, this time from Paige's perspective. I'll try and alternate POVs throughout the rest of the story.

Paige looked up as she saw Walter hurry back in. "Listen, I was—" She stopped when she realized he wasn't even slowing down, hurrying out the door with an expression far too similar to the one he'd been wearing when he left the night before.

She pressed her lips together, worried. She knew the rest of the team thought they were keeping Walter's secret, but Sylvester alone was loud enough she hadn't even needed to engage her "mom hearing." Something was clearly wrong – this was so much like when he'd been so angry after hearing the news about his sister – and if it didn't get better soon she'd have to pry it out of one of them at some point.

"...heard a word I've said, have you?"

It was at that point she realized Drew had been speaking, and she blinked and dragged herself back out of her thoughts. "Sorry." She gave him her "bad day at work" smile, trying to focus. "Just got distracted."

Ralph looked up at her with a solemn expression. "That's your 'worry' face," he said quietly. "Is it about me?"

Her heart clenched. "No, sweetheart, it's definitely not about you." She smoothed his hair back, pressing her lips against the top of his head. "It's just work stuff."

"Okay." He gave her a small smile when she straightened, then without a word went over to see what Sylvester was working on.

Drew watched him go, then turned back to Paige. "Was it really just work stuff?"

She let out a breath. "You don't have to worry," she sighed, rubbing a hand along the back of her neck. "I can see that you're trying with him."

It wasn't Drew's fault that he simply wasn't as good at reaching her son as Walter was. Or that she was, for that matter – he didn't have the experience. Though Walter kept swearing he had zero experience with people, and he still somehow managed to be there for Paige more than anyone else in her life had. He managed to bridge the gap between Ralph and Drew, even though she knew for a fact he still didn't like Drew. Who, a tiny voice in the back of her head was saying, didn't even seem to be _trying_ to speak Ralph's language....

"...hear me, Paige?"

She rubbed her eyes, dragging herself back into the moment. "Sorry."

Drew just watched her for a moment, studying her face far more intently than she ever remembered him doing during their relationship. "You and Walter seem awfully close," he said finally.

Someone who hadn't lived with him might have thought his tone was mild, but she knew better than that. "Don't." She put every ounce of steel she had into the word, voice low enough that Ralph wouldn't overhear. There was no way she'd make the same mistake the rest of the team had. "You're here for Ralph, remember. That's it."

"Okay, okay." He held his hands up in a cease-and-desist gesture. "You're right. It's none of my business."

"No, it isn't." She forced the words to be even, despite the edginess that lingered.  She'd been fine earlier, and had actually been enjoying herself when she'd gotten the chance to sing. And yes, it didn't help anything that Walter was apparently doing something where he now owed cars to intimidating-sounding Russians, but the problem had started long before that.

It had started, really, when Walter had his idea about examining the data from Drew's pitches. Watching Walter and Ralph had given her that same tight feeling in her chest that it always did, both wonderful and awful at the same moment. They looked like they belonged together, and yet somehow they always seemed to make room for her. Like they all belonged together.

The fantasy of it made her ache a little.

"I hope he makes you happy." Drew's voice surprised her, soft and a little sad. "You deserve it."

Her brow furrowed a little, confused, then she realized the impression she must have given him. "Oh, that's...." She felt the sentence die in her throat, not wanting to explain that Walter didn't feel that way about her. It would be pointless misery, and neither of them needed that.

Instead, she smiled a little, more genuine this time. "Thank you."

He nodded, trying for a smile of his own. "He's good with Ralph."

"He is." She took a deep breath. "You can be, too. But you have to at least try to speak his language. He deserves that from you."

After a moment, he nodded. "I know." He hesitated. "I'll try."

She nodded back at him, ignoring the ache that still lingered in her chest. These days, she'd learned to take what she could get.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is set after 1X09.

"You're not actually dating him, are you?"

Paige's head shot up at Drew's question, horrified that he would even think of asking that in front of Ralph. There were other things she would worry about later, such as the conversation he must have had with Walter in order to realize this, but right now her first priority was her son.  

She immediately glanced over at Ralph, who had looked up from calculating the total area of the pepperoni slices on his pizza with an interested expression. "Mrs. Rosen from next door said it was a shame you don't date. Pretty girl like you." His brow furrowed. "You're not a girl. You're a mom."

Drew's smile looked too much like a smirk. "She is pr—"

He cut off the rest of the sentence when she jabbed a glare in his direction, then deliberately softened her expression before turning back to her son. "And I'm very happy being your mom. I don't need to date."

Ralph still looked like he was thinking too hard. "I don't have a very good definition of the word 'date.'"

Drew lifted his eyebrows, clearly surprised, but he'd never been a single mother with a son that everyone had said was 'challenged.' Dating had been at the absolute bottom of her priority list for years, which was convenient because she didn't have time for it. There had simply never been a need to explain the concept to him before this. "It's when two people who like each other very much decide to spend time together," she said carefully. "It's a way adults have to get to know each other better."

Ralph considered this, eyes carefully going back and forth between her and Drew. Paige braced herself for the inevitable question, prepared to explain as gently as possible that she and his father were definitely, completely and under no circumstances dating one another. That ship had sailed a long time ago, and she didn't have the slightest bit of interest in getting back on board.

When he spoke, though, she realized she had braced herself for the wrong thing entirely. "You should date Walter." He looked over at her, hesitant. "Sometimes I could go with you, and sometimes you could go when I was at school or with Dad."

Paige just stared at him for a moment, stunned. It took real effort to remind herself that it was entirely logical for a child to want to pair up the major male influence in his life with his mother. It didn't _mean_ anything. "Walter and I are friends," she said gently, ignoring both Drew's eyes and the ache in her chest. "People who are friends don't go on dates."

"Dates are more for people who want to get married," Drew added, a faint edge beneath the lightness in his voice. She suspected he was trying to make a point, but she didn't look over at him to find out what it was. "Your mom and I used to date."

Ralph looked over at his father, then back at Paige. "So dating is for producing children?" he asked for a moment.

Hit with a sudden, terrifying vision of what the birds and the bees talk would be like – she'd definitely have to get Walter involved in that – she smoothed her hand over Ralph's hair. "Dating is for people who love each other," she said quietly. "Who are as important to each other as you are to me."

She heard Drew inhale, like he was about to say something, then miraculously he thought better of it and kept silent. Ralph processed the information, studying Paige's face with a slightly furrowed brow. "You smile more when we're with Walter," he said finally, voice as matter-of-fact as it was when he was talking about math. "And Walter looks at you like Sylvester looks at Super Fun Guy." He nodded, then returned his attention back to the slice of pizza in front of him. "You should date."

Paige couldn't seem to make herself say a word, her throat tight. When she finally glanced over at Drew, he just looked confused. "Super Fun Guy?" he asked, eyebrows raised.

"He's a superhero," Ralph answered. He bit into his slice of pizza, careful to chew and swallow before speaking again. "Sylvester thinks he's the best, which means that Walter thinks mom is the best. Their faces are the same."

Paige took a deep breath, trying very hard not to let herself get caught up. Ralph was so smart, but he wasn't very good at understanding emotions sometimes. It was easy to misread people.

Besides, she would have seen, wouldn't she? She spent so much time looking at Walter, surely she would have noticed him looking back. "He cares about everyone on the team, Ralph, including you."

"I know." Her son nodded. "But he doesn't look at anyone else like that."

"Hey, let's talk about something else, okay?" Drew cut in, voice a little too loud. "I've got another baseball scenario for you."

She let them talk as she turned her attention to her slice of pizza, trying very hard not to think about anything at all.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just after the end of episode 1X10.

Walter leaned his cheek against Megan's hair, trying very hard to enjoy the moment without thinking about the minutes were slipping by. If the doctors were correct in their estimation, she had less than 525949 of those minutes before the mobility in her legs failed her completely. Walter, however, had far less time, a mere 7800 minutes if he maintained his normal two and a half hour visits every Friday. Even accounting for moments like this, a rough estimate of 3000 more minutes in a year, there weren't enough of them.

There would never be enough of them.

Megan, who was nearly as adept at reading micro expressions as Toby, chose that exact moment to poke him in the leg. "Stop it, now. Think happy thoughts."

The corners of his mouth quirked upward. "I can remind you about my speech on the illogic of pixie dust, if you'd like."

She laughed. "You were six when you came up with that!"

His smile widened. "Imagine how detailed it's gotten since then."

"Okay, okay. New topic." She squeezed his leg, her smile the exact one she made when she talked about getting arrested. "So, I'm glad I finally met Paige."

Walter went still, every alarm in his head going off. "You met all my co-workers."

"And they were all great, but Paige is the one you've been so carefully not talking about all these months." She lifted her head, giving him a pointed look. "As you so beautifully demonstrated a few days ago, you tend to clam up about the parts of your life that mean the most to you."

Feeling cornered – Megan had always been too perceptive – he lowered his brow and did his best to look completely unaffected. "That's illogical. If interest could be quantified by the things I _don't_ discuss, I would spend my free hours watching reality television and talking to complete strangers on social media."

She raised an eyebrow. "Do you really want me to do this?"

No, he really didn't. But he had to know where his weaknesses were. "Yes."

"You asked for it." Her smile was affectionate. "You'll be talking about a case, or just something that happened during the week, but half the time when you say Paige's name you'll suddenly trip over the rest of the sentence and just clam up."

He looked back out at the water. "Maybe that means she and I don't get along, and I don't want to bring that negativity into our conversation."

"You do remember I lived with you for years, don't you? You tend to talk _twice_ as much about the people who drive you crazy." Her voice softened. "And when you get an overload of emotion, you get this frozen look on your face like your internal computer's shut down and you don't know what to do. You get that look every time you stop talking about Paige."

And there it was. Walter let all the air out of his lungs in a rush, leaning forward and scrubbing his hands across his face. "It's irrelevant. There are other factors at play."

He didn't ... he didn't think Paige would pick up and move with Drew. She was proud of the work she did with the team, and one of the reasons they separated in the first place was because she wanted Ralph to have the stability that a baseball player's life didn't provide.

But if Drew had even the most rudimentary intelligence, he would realize that Paige was far more important than continuing his mediocre baseball career. He'd won her once, and they had the bond of a child between them. Drew was also capable of understanding things like art and the value of politeness, and was clearly interested in resurrecting his relationship with Paige.

And even if she said no to Drew ... she had no reason to be interested in Walter. Someone else would come along who was vastly superior to both Drew and himself, someone who could connect to Ralph _and_ be a functional member of society, and that would be that.

Megan sighed. "I'm guessing you haven't told her how you feel."

Walter made a frustrated noise. "Of course not. Like I told you, it's irrelevant."

She poked him again. "I think she should be the one who gets to decide what's relevant."

He closed his eyes, paralyzed by the thought. He didn't ... he had no idea what words to even use, let alone put them together in a way that even began to approach coherency. He'd dated enough to know that he had _no_ idea how to speak "romantically," and even though Paige probably understood that by now she no doubt expected more in her personal life. She would say no, as gently as she could, and if he was very lucky she'd continue to work with the team.

But it would never be the same.

"Walter." Megan forward, chin tucked up against his shoulder and hand resting on his back. She had the same urgent, loving tone to her voice that she had when she'd said they needed to make new memories. "You refuse to believe the doctors when they say I have no hope. Why can't you believe that you have some hope with Paige?"

He opened his eyes, tilting his head back so it rested against hers again. "I don't know."

She kissed his hair. "It's not very logical, you know."

Walter couldn't help the smile that formed. "Shut up."

He could feel her return grin as they watched the sun finish rising.

 


	5. Chapter 5

Even though he'd been waiting for it – by this point, he knew Paige's schedule almost better than she did – Walter couldn't stop himself from tensing when Paige looked at the clock with a disappointed expression. "I'm so sorry, guys, but I have to go." She stood, handing Happy the comic book she'd been reading. "My babysitter needs to get home."

Walter stood before he'd fully made the decision to do so, leaving his own comic book on the chair. "I'll walk you to your car."

She smiled, just a little, but there was something uncertain behind her eyes. "Thanks."

The walk out to the parking lot was quiet, Walter adjusting his own rhythm to fit hers even as she did the same. He knew she had been out with Drew, and the polite thing to do would to ask how the date had gone or offer some sort of verbal sympathy that she had cut it short to be here with them. Since the second statement would be a lie and the first question was something he desperately did not want to know, he stayed silent.

When they got to her car, he held her door open for her. "If he wakes up," he said quietly, "I'll tell him you were here."

She smiled, the expression more genuine this time, then hesitated. "I suppose it's too much to ask that you guys go home and get some sleep yourselves, right?"

He shrugged. "I've told you, we don't need a great deal of sleep." He tried a smile. "Don't worry, though. Cabe will be keeping an eye on us."

"Yes, he will." Still, she didn't move into the car, jaw moving as if she were trying words out in her mind before saying them aloud, and he braced himself for whatever she was going to say. Then she pressed her lips together, shaking her head slightly. When her pleasant expression returned, it had lost some of its shine. "Goodnight, Walter."

He let himself just look at her, even though he knew how foolish it was. When you were solving a particularly complex math problem, there was always this moment of clarity when you saw the solution stretching out in front of you. A moment when all of the numbers were in their perfect places, and the world made sense as it never did in all those moments in between.

It was terrifying, how often looking at Paige made him feel like that.

Walter let out a breath, wishing he'd been able to take Agent Taylor up on her offer. It would have been so much simpler. "Goodnight, Paige." He tried to keep his voice light, as if none of this mattered. "Remember, Cabe meant what he said about the babysitting bill."

Something flickered across her expression, too fast for him to read, and she made a half-aborted gesture before giving in and laying her hand over his where it rested on the top of the door. "Don't do this."

Walter went still, trying to drag the part of his brain obsessing over the sensation of the physical contact back to the matter at hand. "I don't know what you mean."

Paige took a deep breath, the worry shining out of her eyes. "I know you say you have no emotions, and I'm sure that's part of your tactic for processing tough situations, but anyone who knows you knows that's not true."

His usual denial was there on the tip of his tongue, so ready to be said that he was stunned when something else came out of his mouth. "It doesn't matter."

That certainly didn't ease Paige's concern at all. "Of course it does." She leaned forward slightly, voice urgent. "Just because you're team leader doesn't mean you're not allowed to feel things, Walter."

He let out a breath, appalled at what he'd admitted. But not explaining it would only make matters worse. "That's not what I meant," he said finally. "It's ... my feelings don't change anything. They never have." He cleared his throat. "Megan's still sick. People still died because of something I made. Sylvester was still hurt." _You still went out on a date with your ex-husband._ "No matter what I feel, it doesn't matter in the long run. So it's illogical to focus on it."

Paige's expression went soft and sad. "It does to some people," she said quietly, then closed the rest of the distance between them and pressed a kiss against his cheek. "Remember that next time."

He stepped back as she got in the car, then stayed where he was to watch her drive away.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't wait any longer.

Paige was surrounded by Christmas, from the fake snow and the lights to the Rube Goldberg machine that seemed to have used every one of the decorations she'd brought, and it was all so absolutely perfect she didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Other than Ralph, she hadn't had family around her for Christmas for a really long time, and the fact that they'd come together to make this for her son was the best Christmas present she could have gotten.

Then she thought about how close she'd come to losing a really important member of that family, and the scale tilted a lot closer to crying. Walter was across the room with Ralph and Cabe, testing whether you could add water to the fake snow and make snowballs – she was sure the language they were using was much more scientific – and she had to blink back the sudden wetness from her eyes.

As if he could sense her looking at him, Walter looked up at her with the exact same expression he had earlier. Paige didn't quite dare label what it was, no matter how often her heart kept trying to offer her suggestions. She'd never had anyone look at her like that in her entire life – there was no way she could be sure what it meant.

But ... he was still wearing the ridiculous Christmas sweater she'd bought him, and when he'd put it on he'd smiled like it was the best thing anyone had ever gotten him. He was still _here_ , being infuriating and wonderful and so much more important than she'd ever tried to let him be.

He'd been so brave today. Could she do the same?

Seeing something on her face, Walter's brow lowered in sudden concern. Giving Cabe a look, he leaned in to talk to Ralph for a moment before standing up and heading over to her. "Is everything okay?" he asked quietly, low enough that no one else would hear.

"Yeah." She tried a smile, hoping it looked better than it felt. "I was just thinking about everything that happened earlier."

His expression smoothed out in understanding. "Owen will be fine." He touched her arm lightly. "You heard the doctors yourself. He'll make a full recovery."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "That's not who I meant."

He was confused for a split second, then there was a flash of something she couldn't quite read before his expression shut down. She'd known him long enough by this point to recognize his "too many feelings" face nearly as well as she did Ralph's. "Ah."

"Yes, 'ah.'" She laid a hand against his chest, expression sobering. "I know why you did what you did," she said quietly, "and it was so incredibly brave of you."

Walter didn't say anything, but every ounce of his attention was focused on her. Paige felt her heart speed up, the sounds of the Christmas party around her fading into insignificance. She took a deep breath, finding her courage, and gave him a little bit of everything she'd been holding back. "But it would break my heart if something happened to you." Her voice was scratchy, and the false brightness she added to her voice wasn't fooling anyone. "So if you could maybe hesitate for a few seconds before throwing yourself into danger next time, I'd really appreciate it."

She could see his jaw tighten, too much in his eyes, then deliberately relax. "I know you're protective of the people you care about, but there's no need in my case."

The words were gentle, almost a little sad, and they made Paige narrow her eyes. "I will feel protective of whoever I want to, Walter O'Brien, and you are #2 on that list. So deal with it."

His expression softened, looking almost fragile for a moment. "Right behind Ralph?" he asked quietly.

She smiled, grateful that he seemed to get it. "Right behind Ralph."

Walter watched her face, eyes too full to be able to read properly. "You said that what I feel does matter to some people," he said finally. "Is that true enough for you to forgive me for something?"

She hesitated, trying to figure out what he meant. "Is it going to almost get you killed again?"

He actually smiled a little at that. "No. Even when you're angry, you're not that violent." He took a deep breath. "But I'm starting to believe that miracles might be quantifiable phenomenon."

Paige couldn't have stopped herself from returning his smile even if she'd wanted to. "Then yes. Whatever it is, I'll forgive you."

He hesitated for a second, looking almost afraid, and her first thought was to reassure him against whatever was making him look like that. Then he suddenly leaned forward, lips oh-so-gentle on hers, and she lost that thought along with everything else that had been in her head. Still, her mouth knew exactly what to do, offering its own soft welcome as they breathed each other in.

When they broke apart, they pulled back to stare wide-eyed at each other. Paige's heart was pounding again, and she could swear there was a voice in the back of her head cheering like she'd just won the Super Bowl. Walter looked like his breathing was no more steady than hers, his expression a mixture of astonishment, worry, and something that looked suspiciously like hope.

Then he took another deep breath, along with a deliberate step back. "Thank you for that," he said softly.

It took real effort to make her voice work. "I was just about to say that."

His sudden smile was absolutely beautiful. "Merry Christmas, Paige."

She wrapped her fingers around his tie, pulling him closer for another kiss. She'd been wrong – _this_ was the best Christmas present she could have gotten. "Merry Christmas, Walter."


	7. Chapter 7

Even though most of his attention stayed on Ralph, Cabe kept one eye on Walter as he walked over to talk to Paige. He'd been watching the two of them dance around each other since almost the very beginning, but there was always a chance one of them would finally say something after the day they'd just had. Brushing that close to death tended to make a man re-evaluate some things.

Nearly losing someone you care that much about tended to make people re-evaluate some things, too.

Ralph, who had been writing some notes on chemical formula on a scrap of wrapping paper, followed his gaze. "You can have two dads. I checked." He looked over at Cabe. "Do you think Walter would like to be my other dad?"

Cabe's chest clenched as he looked down at the little boy, so similar to Walter had been at that age. He'd never let himself imagine having grandkids, but sometimes life gave you more than you ever imagined it would. "I think he would," he said quietly. "But you should probably let him work that out with your mom."

"If we do that, it's never going to happen." That was from Toby, coming up to take the seat Walter had vacated. He looked over at Walter and Paige, then turned his attention back to Ralph. "Want to help us give them a nudge in the right direction?"

"I don't think there should be any nudging." Sylvester chimed in, moving to join the conversation. Cabe was pretty sure the rest of the team had a sensor that went off when Toby had a bad idea in their immediate vicinity. "As much as we'd all like Walter and Paige to start dating, we shouldn't try to pressure them into anything."  

Toby turned to him. "Hey, it's my duty as their teammate to...."

Cabe, who had kept part of his attention on Walter and Paige the whole time, tuned out the discussion going on around him as he saw Walter lean forward and give Paige a quick kiss. They both looked so startled for a moment that Cabe was afraid he'd be nursing Walter through a broken heart at the end of it, then Paige grabbed his tie and pulled him close for a much more serious kiss.

Toby broke off when he caught sight of Cabe's smile, then immediately swiveled around to look at Walter and Paige. Everyone else did the same, and slowly matching grins appeared on all their faces. Happy and her dad even wandered over, where she picked up Toby's hat just long enough to whap him on the back of the head.

Toby glanced up at her, smile widening. "Whatever you think I did, I'm perfectly innocent."

Happy lifted an eyebrow, her own lips curving upward. "Sure."

Ralph gave a very self-satisfied sigh. "Now I just need one more mom, and both sides of my parental equation are balanced."

Sylvester cleared his throat. "Guys, we should probably make sure we're not—"

But the warning came too late, because Walter and Paige chose that exact moment to break the kiss. Paige had clearly caught sight of their audience, and she gave them all what Cabe privately referred to as her "mom" look. "Any comments from the peanut gallery?" she asked, clearly amused. Cabe was pleased to note she and Walter still hadn't let go of each other.

"I feel like now is the time to remind all of you that I write your paychecks," Walter added, trying to sound stern.

Toby, grinning wide, just started clapping. Sylvester joined in a moment later, followed by Happy and Cabe. Ralph, after seeing what everyone else was doing, joined in a moment later.

Walter gave a long-suffering sigh, while Paige looked utterly surprise by the response. Walter, noticing this, pulled her close for another kiss.

Cabe, watching all this, just grinned. He hadn't had a Christmas this good in a long time.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is how the conversation at the end of 1X13 would have happened in my land.

"Can you promise me this won't happen again?" Paige's voice was quiet, her expression terrifyingly solemn. He'd failed her and Ralph so badly.

Walter let out a breath, hating the only answer he had to give her. "I wish I could." He could promise that _he_ would be infinitely more careful, but caution wasn't something he was particularly skilled at. It was all too possible that he would slip up again. And even if he didn't, Walter himself hadn't needed any guidance before hacking NASA. Ralph was intelligent enough that he could go anywhere.

They both could, actually. There was an entire world out there that Paige and Ralph could leave him for.

She nodded, expression closing down. "I was afraid you'd say that."

Feeling panic slice through him, Walter moved toward her. His hand half-raised, reaching out, but he pulled it back because he didn't know if he was allowed to touch her anymore. The words, however, slipped out without any conscious decision on his part. "Teach me."

Paige hesitated, her brow furrowed in confusion. "What?"

Walter rubbed a hand across his mouth, trying to find words for the desperation that was making his heart pound. "I don't ... I don't know how to ..." His brain cycled for a safe word, one he could fall back on if she chose not to forgive him for this, but there was nothing there. He squeezed his eyes shut a moment, accepting defeat. "Parent. That's the word I was looking for." Then he opened them again, meeting her gaze. "I want to learn how to be a parent."

Paige blinked hard, eyes suddenly wet. "Walter...."

He shook his head, still afraid what she might say. "Drew doesn't really know, either, no matter how much he thinks he does. You, however, are an absolute expert at being Ralph's parent, and that is a skill I would very much like to learn." He tried a smile, but his voice was rough. "I learn things quickly, if that helps at all. Especially when it matters this much."

Paige watched his face, expression softening. "In my experience, you're not very good at listening to people."

For a second, the smile felt a little more natural on his face. "I listen to you, even though it doesn't seem like that sometimes." Then his expression sobered. "I can't promise I won't argue with you, or have different views on the intellectual stimulation that Ralph does or doesn't need." His throat felt tight, making it hard to speak. "But you and Ralph are more important to me than anything else. I swear to you I won't jeopardize that."

Her lips curved upward by the faintest degree. "So you want to take parenting lessons."

Walter nodded. "I'm not ... very aware of rules. Of processing them, or independently realizing when they need to be implemented. But I can learn. I can learn anything." He lifted a hand, reaching out for her again. "I don't want to lose this."

Slowly, she reached out and took his hand. The warmth of her fingers closing around his was such a profound relief that it left him unsteady on his feet. "Being a parent is a lifetime project, you know."

"One I am profoundly unqualified for, I know." There was a pressure in his chest, as if it was filled with all the emotion he usually tried so hard to pretend he didn't have. "But you're the best person to help me change that."

Paige took a deep breath, then tugged on their joined hands. When he went willingly, she pulled him close and wrapped her arms around him. "Lesson 1: I have to approve of everything," she murmured, holding on tight. "No exciting genius sites or projects I haven't seen first."

Walter closed his eyes, his own grip just as tight as hers. "Fair enough."


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The ending scene for my version of ep 1x16 (aka the Valentine's Day one)

Paige laid the dress out on Walter's bed, giving it one last critical look. She still wasn't sure it was nice enough for one of the nicest restaurants in the city – she still couldn't believe Walter had gotten reservations – but without government agent fairy godmothers it was the best she had. She'd kept meaning to get something better after that first undercover job, but every time she'd gotten a paycheck there'd always been higher priorities....

There was a quiet knocking sound behind her, and she turned to see Walter standing in the doorway with his "I have several options and you're not going to like any of them" face. Paige sighed, bracing herself to have her evening derailed. "I take it we're not going to dinner?" She tried hard not to sound disappointed, knowing it was probably for something like a case. If it had been a sudden attack of science, he wouldn't have remembered to come upstairs.

Walter winced, clearly searching for words. "We can still go to dinner, just ... not where we'd intended to go." He hesitated, meeting her eyes. "I ... kind of gave Sylvester our reservation."

Paige blinked in surprise, then remembered the card she'd seen him making downstairs. "For his valentine," she murmured, feeling herself melt a little. Yes, it meant she would miss the restaurant, but it was a wonderfully sweet thing for Walter to.... wait.

It was her turn to hesitate this time, her voice careful. "Did ... he tell you who he'd made the card for?"

Walter shook his head. "I didn't want to push." Sudden interest lit his eyes. "Did he tell you?"

For a second Paige just stared at the man she loved, doing a quick mental calculation weighing not lying to him against his possible reaction to his friend having romantic feelings for his sister. Deciding that it was too early to say anything either way, she shook her head back at him. "I didn't ask."

"Ah." Walter floundered, looking a little lost, then took a step into the room. "I'm sorry, Paige. I shouldn't have done it without speaking to you first, but it just ... it seemed...."

When the rest of the sentence failed him, Paige closed the rest of the distance between them and laid her hands against his shoulders. "He saved your life, Walter," she said softly, eyes stinging at the reminder. "A hundred dinner reservations aren't going to make up for that."

Walter's face turned solemn. "I couldn't let them take you," he said quietly, his hands slowly coming to rest on her hips. "Whatever else happened, I couldn't let them take you."

"I know." She sniffed, blinking back the tears that suddenly welled up at the thought of what this moment would have been like if one little thing had gone wrong. If she'd had to be here alone. "Which is why I feel like giving Sylvester whatever he wants right now. So good job."

Walter lifted a hand, wiping away a tear that had snuck down her cheek. "Don't do that. Please."

She leaned into his touch a little. "Then stop making me watch you walk into danger."

He sighed. "I can't promise that." Then his expression eased. "But I can promise you dinner somewhere else. Toby and Happy haven't called asking for bail yet, so Ralph's probably still fine."

"You still need to practice being comforting." Still, she felt the corners of her mouth curve up, and when his eyes lit again she realized that was exactly what he'd intended. "Chinese takeout under the stars?"

He wrestled with that a moment, his expression caught between resignation and amusement. He still didn't understand the pleasures of eating outdoors. "Why do I get the feeling that you and Megan plot behind my back to force me into growth experiences?"

Paige's smile widened, and she leaned forward to give him a soft kiss. "Because you're a smart man."

Something in the comment seemed to hit him wrong, his expression going fragile for a moment. "You made me more than that." She was surprised at how serious he sounded, as if he was determined to convince her of something she already believed in wholeheartedly. "You know, that, right? I'm not the man I used to be."

She watched him, suspecting this had something to do with the conversation he'd had with his ex-girlfriend, then lifted her hands to cradle the sides of his face. "I know exactly who you are." Her voice was as certain as his had been. "And I love you for it."

Paige felt him jerk a little in surprise, then he leaned forward for a much more intense kiss. She let herself fall into it, sliding her fingers back to tunnel through his hair as his hands tightened on her hips. The tiny bit of distance that had been between them disappeared, their bodies curling together as if knowing exactly where they belonged.

When they broke apart, Walter pulled back only far enough that they could both get their breath back. "I don't know how to define romantic love," he breathed. "But anything I am is yours. I hope you know that."

She smiled even as her eyes filled up again. "Sounds like love to me," she whispered, leaning in for another kiss.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, that finale.... It deserves to launch a thousand delightful fics, but as this one had already set sail I'm using it to bring this one safely back into port. Don't worry, though - this story might be done, but I can't imagine I've left the universe for good.

Walter opened his eyes, the lingering effects of the morphine still cushioning his pain receptors from the full effect of the crash. Far more significant to him at the moment, however, was the roughly Ralph-sized mass near the hip opposite his injured spleen, carefully positioned for minimal weight distribution on injured muscles. On his other side, there was the approximate weight of an adult female head resting against his thigh. If he shifted his hand just a little, he could feel her fingers centimeters from his.

Slowly, he lifted his head just enough to see the top of Ralph's head, and Paige's sleeping face turned toward his. He laid back down, the stinging sensation in his eyes a chemical reaction from unshed tears, and inched his fingers over until his hand was wrapped around Paige's.

She immediately shot upright. "Walter?" She squeezed his hand. "Is everything okay? Do you need something?"

Walter let himself just look at her for a moment, exhaustion and protective worry radiating out of her. There was hardly any distance between them now, far less than there had been when he'd been looking up at her from the wreckage of his car. If the experiment with Cabe hadn't been successful, he'd wanted her face to be the last thing he saw. "I'm sorry," he said quietly.

Paige blinked hard, eyes suddenly wet, and she swiped at them with her free hand. "Having you throw yourself into dangerous situations isn't exactly new, Walter." He shook his head, wincing when his muscles protested even that dramatic a movement, and the worry line deepened between her brows.  "Be careful. You've put your body through enough, today."

"No. I've put you, Ralph and the rest of Scorpion through enough today." He squeezed her hand, regret far sharper than any of his physical aches. "Normally, when I put myself in dangerous situations, it's for some greater good. I'm helping someone, or protecting one of you. Last night, though, I was reckless. I was upset about Cabe, and I allowed that to impede my better judgment." His voice softened. "I frightened all of you."

"Yes, you did." Paige's voice was thick. "You have to be more careful, Walter."

"I know." He shifted his other hand enough so that it settled against the top of Ralph's head, fingers tunneling through the boy's hair. There had been so much he'd wanted to say, when he thought he'd never have another chance to say it. "You and Happy yelled at me."

"We did." She narrowed her eyes at him. "You kept trying to say goodbye, and that just wasn't going to cut it."

"If Happy's plan hadn't worked, or the crow had chosen to fly off only a few seconds faster, it would have been the only option left." He'd expected to feel fear, down there on the cliff side, the chemical cause of it a natural side effect of the human body trying to avoid its own death. The sense of loss, however, had been far more staggering. If his life had ended in that moment, there would have been so much he would have missed. "It wasn't my preferred alternative, but it seemed better than silence."

She shook her head, expression fierce. "It wasn't an alternative. You have people you need to come home to, Walter O'Brien. My son looks at you like he has _never_ looked at his biological father, and I will be absolutely furious at you if you break his heart." She narrowed her eyes at him, the tears flowing freely now. "I will be just as furious with you if you leave him to deal with a grieving mother because the idiot love of her life got himself killed by driving too fast on a dangerous road."

Walter's chest constricted in a way no medication could touch, the air he needed catching in his throat. _Love of her life_. "I know." His voice was rough. "I'm sorry."

"There are still plenty of other people you need to say that to, you know. Megan was terrified when you weren't there for her doctor's appointment, and Toby, Happy and Sylvester practically hacked NASA to find you this morning." She stopped, as if remembering something, then gave him another sharp look. Her hand stayed tight in his, as if she had no intention of letting go. "Turn the GPS back on in your phone, by the way, or at least make sure there's something in there we can track." She hesitated. "Though I would also really appreciate if you stop making us need to track you."

He squeezed her hand again. "Consider it done, on both counts."

"Good." Paige nodded, the fierceness only holding for a second longer before her expression crumpled.

For someone with as low an EQ as he had, it shouldn't hurt him this much to see her in pain. Logic, however, clearly had no sway here. "Paige...."

"Don't do this to me again," she whispered, lifting their joined hands to press a kiss against the back of his. "I need you to be there to help me with our genius grandchildren."

His throat had closed up to the point where speech was unreliable, even if he'd had the adequate words to respond to something that miraculous. Instead, he simply tugged her closer.

Her brow furrowed again. "There's barely enough room for Ralph. I'll hurt you."

Walter shook his head. His physical injuries were at the absolute bottom of his priority list right now. "Please."

The word clearly affected her, something in her expression becoming fragile for just a moment. Slowly, she climbed into the bed next to him, careful not to jostle any of the tubes or wires as she settled by his side. Walter was equally careful not to let any inadvertent pain or discomfort caused by the movement to show up on his face.

When she was by his side, he pressed a kiss against her hair. "You and Ralph are my highest priority," he whispered. "I won't forget that again."

She closed her eyes, laying a hand against his heart. "Good."

**Author's Note:**

> Come check out my weekly posts and original short fiction on my [blog](http://jennifferwardell.blogspot.com) or say hi to me on [Tumblr](http://sanctuaryforalluniverses.tumblr.com)!


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